Operation: Make PolkaDot Panties Fall
by sera-chan011
Summary: Natsume/Mikan. Fluff. She fell off a tree. Literally. However, he was there, catching her, and saying, "Instead of falling of the tree, did you fall for me?"
1. Fall Off A Tree

**Edited – 2009October**

**Disclaimer: **If I say Gakuen Alice is mine, would you believe? :)

**Operation: Make Polka-Dot Panties Fall**

Time did pass by and you now found yourself as a big cheery girl, beautiful, and thirteen years old. Your bond with your friends was tighter after all the struggles you had had in the academy. But everything was fine now. Everyone was free; you could now relax — relax from stress of being restricted from freedom but _not_ relax from the unappetizing schoolwork.

It was your lunchtime and so you ran along the hallways of the school then downstairs until outside. You were panting really hard, as though all oxygen from your lungs was drained. He had got to be somewhere, you knew that.

"That guy, just when I need him the most!"

The grounds were swarming with many students and you knew Natsume wasn't just the guy to go publicly walking whilst having such intimidating features. He was a renowned guy in Gakuen Alice, after all.

Amidst the many students passing by you, you halted while your chin was held by your hand, and your eyes fastened by concentration.

_That's right!_, you thought as you spun around and jogged to the opposite direction. _He's got to be there_.

A smile spread across your lips as the warm summer air hit your skin. You were excited.

"Natsume _should_ be there!"

The tree, yes, he was definitely there. You knew it was his solitary place, the only place he deemed to be best for sleeping and enjoying reading his manga.

Your pace turned faster as eagerness started pinning you to your limit, excited to see him, in a bad way, though. You wanted to reprimand him for being such a bad, bad, _friend_ here in school, leaving you just like that amid the nerve-racking math classes, knowing you are no good in the subject.

"Argh," you moaned as the memory flashed through you.

Even if you were thinking that way, you also knew you could not blame him. Natsume Hyuuga is different anyway. He _is_ not like any other people. More importantly, he _is_ not you.

Alas, you found him, deep in slumber as suggested by his slow and rhythmic breathing. At the sight of him, you knew you could start pestering him about him not going to class.

"Oi, Natsume!" you called, feigning a pout and a frown crumpling your eyebrows. You just wanted to nag him, but you never really knew the reason why.

His body twitched and you realized he was awake yet you could look through his pretense. He was ignoring you.

"Natsume!" you called again, raising your voice by an octave. You wanted to be stubborn not to leave unless he broke through his sham and stare at you with his perilous claret-colored eyes.

You tried to approach him nearer but as you neared, both of you could hear some rasping from above the tree. In an instant, you knew someone was there and your suspicion was affirmed as a girlish yell broke the silence of the isolated place.

"Aah!"

You halted from jogging as you watched in amusement as Natsume jolted upwards with alertness, his whole wrapped with vigor. You simply watched still as he looked up with his menacing eyes to the petite silhouette falling from above the tree.

Your eyes widened. It was a girl — your kohai in Gakuen Alice perhaps. Natsume on the other hand, with less effort yet alertness, caught the falling girl on time. Great, the girl was just gazing at him with fearful eyes that gradually morphed to joviality.

"Kyaah! Natsume-senpai saved me from falling!" the girl squealed and you gave a wince in an immediate action.

You basically watched as Natsume shot the girl a tomblike glare and biting your lower lip, you watched the rest happen no more and left. You now believe that you're a factual idiot for backing away like that. You did not even witness how Natsume snarled angrily at the girl and carelessly let go of her, hurting her in doing so, even frightening her into burning her into ashes if she did not leave immediately.

You were stupid in leaving, really. But, who could blame you anyway? You are a girl and Natsume is your seatmate and he is a boy. You somehow became _attached_ to him then you would simply watch as he went save a random girl from falling off a tree whilst he never did that to you. He would actually just leave you alone entertaining himself as he teases you about how a polka-dot pantie like you became an idiot at the same time.

You did not give him another look the next class when he was sitting beside you behind your assigned desk. Somehow you realized that even if you are his partner in class, he never gave the matter more than a passing thought.

You just stayed still, your head on your hand as you frowned at the teacher who was busy drawling in front of class. You are never really any intelligent student as your best friend yet you never gave your lessons a heed as you felt the menacing sharp eyes of your 'enmity' piercing through you.

Why were you mad anyway? It was not like you were jealous or something.

When the classes ended, you, without more ado, made your way out, excited, that was. You were too keyed up to finally exit the room and break free from the intimidating feeling the looks Natsume grasped you with.

You kept on murmuring to your self, questioning yourself on why you were acting strange.

"Polka-dot panties," a cold voice called from behind you.

"Blabla," you mumbled to yourself as you made your pace swift as possible. You would never want to give his voice a chance in your ears unless you were done investigating with yourself.

"Why are you running?" he asked, irritation clearly framing his cold voice. When he received no reply, he tried to terrorize, "I'll burn those ugly pigtails of yours if you don't halt."

"I know you know it won't work on me," you said, knowing that you could merely nullify his attacks. "I need time alo —" And while you said those, you spun around to speak more to find no one. He probably knew it _is_ not him if he would keep following you.

You felt relieved yet guilty. Relieved because he did not follow you any longer and guilty for not answering his irritated questions. You could be stupid at times, Mikan.

You walked out of the building and out to the grounds to find Tsubasa-senpai by a tree, laughing with his friends. When he noticed you, he gave you a wink that you returned with a smile. Later on you ran into Misaki-senpai who was clearly enraged by the sudden disappearance of Tsubasa-senpai so you gave her no more than an apologetic smile.

As you were striding swifter, you passed by the girl, the one caught by your 'enmity,' who was currently chatting with her friends.

"I thought you do not like Natsume-senpai?" one of the girls asked. You halted and inclined your head to their direction to hear more of their chitchat.

She heard the familiar giggle and a girly sigh. "Yeah, I thought he was such a cold guy but after catching me from falling off the tree, which was, unknown to me, his secret place …," the girl said before pausing, "…I think instead of falling off the tree, I felt like I fell for him!"

You huffed as a grim smile spread across your lips. How clichéd-thinker, that girl. Falling off the tree but then falling for your enmity? That was crazy.

You found Hotaru later on who was busy blackmailing Ruka-pyon into doing something that would mar his image, so you did not dare approach her, afraid she would turn on you. Why were you seeking for people you could rely on anyway? They all seemed busy, including all your other friends. But again, why? It was not like you were drowning in a problem anyway …

Aimlessly you walked until you reached _his_ sakura tree. Great, your greatest animosity as of now — _his_ tree. You glared at it, as fearsome as you could, you reprimanded it about a crime it never did, and you confessed to it.

"I _loathe_ Natsume Hyuuga," you said in between pants.

Your vast imagination might be playing tricks on you that you thought you heard the tree spoke back to you in a monotonous tone. Oh well, here you went, the voice of your enmity making your ears burning through its deathly flames.

"Why?" you heard the tree asked.

You heaved a sigh before staring at the tree blankly. "Because I hate him," you said. "I loathe him because I hate him because I hate him because he saved that girl while he never does that to me."

You covered your mouth, your eyes widening, shocked by your own words. Your mouth could be as stupid as your brain. _Baka Mikan_. You felt like pulling your hair in pigtails like crazy as you knew you were speaking things against your own consent.

You heard the tree snickered. Between the snickers, the breeze was gently blowing the treetop in a symphony so unique.

"Were you jealous?" the tree asked again.

It was yourself imagining the voice asking, so you knew the answer. You knew the fact that for the first time, you realized that your bond with your partner had gone tighter during the past three years of your stay in Gakuen Alice. And now you were questioning yourself whether you were jealous.

You sighed. "You knew the answer, big tree of that perilous Natsume."

Once again, the breeze sent the treetop dancing gracefully and you heard its voice, again, rang, "Climb the second lowest branch."

You raised your eyebrows, amazed at yourself as how your imagination had gotten to a whole new level. To get on the tree never flashed through your mind and so you gave yourself a chuckle, once again leaking your buoyancy.

_My mind surely works peculiar today_, you thought as you continued chuckling.

"Climb," ordered the tree again. Really, did you badly want to climb the tree again after so many ages had passed? You giggled, finding yourself really atypical. You were going insane, thinking you just ordered yourself to climb the tree using Natsume Hyuuga's voice.

And you did.

You did not even realize that the second to the _lowest_ branch of the tree could be that high that you were already anxious on how to go down. But you did not want to let your spirits go down.

"Should I jump?" you asked yourself.

"Go jump," said the tree yet again. You rubbed the back of your head as you laughed at yourself who wished you to go jumping off such a height from a tree using your enmity's voice.

"Crazy," you muttered to yourself as you looked down. "Here goes nothing."

You did jump off and expected your self to feel the pain of a sprain, the mixed blend of softness and hardness of the ground, and feel all bruised. But you didn't.

You merely felt yourself as if bouncing down with arms supporting your back. Your nose could smell the intoxicating smell of your enmity's boyish perfume … and you heard your enmity's boyish groan.

You looked up, your chocolate-brown-colored eyes widening.

"Natsume Hyuuga?!"

From his groaning, you watched as his wincing face turned proud and boastful, and he looked down to his arms and smirked all-too-deviously.

"I thought I fell off!"

"And I caught you," the raven-haired lad said with his notorious smirk, his crimson eyes pinning her down. "Now, perhaps you have fallen _for_ me?"

And you just stared at him with widened eyes and burning cheeks as he stared back at you, his smirk victorious treading until his eyes which were glimmering with joviality.

You knew he won by default … because you forfeited the moment you fell and he caught you.

…_end

* * *

_

**_i know this thing sucks but if you won't mind, please review. and by the way, this thing's edited. =)))  
_**

© sera-chan


	2. Mini Calculations of Love

**Disclaimer: **Never will Gakuen Alice be mine. Koko will be mine then in my cute little world if I ever do. :)

**Operation: Make Polka-Dot Panties Fall**

You were blushing . . . really hard. You could not believe it. Did he just say what you thought he said? Did he really . . . say you had fallen for him?

It must be all those weird happenings in the academy lately. There was no way you would ever like the guy. He was full with himself that the world — no, the universe — was not enough to make room for his humongous ego.

_Riiight . . . ._

What had you done after he _caught _you from _falling_? You ran. Away.

. . .from him.

You sucked. It was a pity on your side that he would have to see you so embarrassed — blushing furiously as though you were completely morphed into a red apple. But your legs were fueled enough to dash quickly away from him — perhaps a mile radius from him — that was, if you were not exaggerating much. But you were actually exaggerating . . . because there was a certain twist in your stomach that moment he caught you as you fell off the tree.

_Stupid Natsume, making me feel this way_, you thought, cringing. You continued running, letting your excited legs drag you to your classroom.

Students were staring at you curiously and you merely ignored them, having no time to explain why a person's whole body could possibly blush. The only thing that you were waiting to happen was for you to grow stouter and turn round, get swollen until your school uniform could not fit in you any longer, and let your hair be dragged by the wind off your head. Then add some green thingies on you and you'd be an exact epitome of tomato beauty.

You halted right in front of your classroom, heaved a sigh, and wished and hoped that a certain black-haired and crimson-eyed someone wasn't there. That would be impossible, right? As far as you were concerned, you left him smirking mischievously by _his_ tree.

You sighed. All you would have to do was relax. He would not be there. That would be impossible.

How wrong you were, you had proven yourself. That was because when your foot stepped in the vicinity of your classroom, he was there, staring at you by the door, a smirk playing across his lips. You felt the hair at the back of your neck immediately stand up, Goosebumps suddenly adorning your skin.

_Where could he have possibly passed?_ you thought, almost freaking out, your light red blush turning in every shade of darker cherry.

Your eyes caught the window and you suddenly had the urge to glare at the poor inanimate item.

"Nogi," you suddenly heard from your back. Ignoring Natusme's triumphant stares, you curiously turned at your back, finding Hotaru _conversing _with Ruka-pyon.

Ruka-pyon was sweating really hard and you had got the urgent feeling that Hotaru was probably blackmailing him — again. What should be the surprise in that? Lately they were always seen together . . . hmm.

Hotaru "seemed" to notice you and she suddenly smiled a creepy smile before angling her head sideward. "Oh, Mikan no baka, you're on the way," she told you and you found the push for lunging on your best friend.

"Hotaruu!!" you sing-sung, feeling suddenly in haven of peace upon seeing her. At least you would be free from Natsume's teasing stares.

Hotaru pushed you off with a detesting look and you pouted. "Go away baka, I might catch germs," she mumbled before smirking. "Or would you want to engage yourself in a little calculation Nogi and I were trying earnestly to solve?"

Your lips broke into a happy grin and you let yourself be dragged by a smirking Hotaru and a nervously fidgeting Ruka-pyon.

You took a seat at the front of Hotaru and turned the chair facing her while Ruka-pyon leaned on the desk beside your best friend, still fidgeting.

"What's up, Ruka-pyon?" you asked out of curiosity. You raised an eyebrow as he started to stammer incoherent words. "What?"

"I — I said I'm worried about N — Natsume's," you blushed at the name, frustration starting to build up in you, "current health."

"Oh," was the only sound you replied with.

Hotaru started fishing for something in her bag which turned out to be one of her latest inventions, a small all-in-one orange and yellow gadget. It was a touch screen gadget and you looked over, watching what she was doing. It was some sort of calculator but instead of numbers, letters were to be used.

You grinned. "Ooh, that's interesting Hotaru," you noted.

"Hn," she mumbled before typing in.

_Idiot + Bastard =_

Your eyebrows crumpled. "Idiot . . . plus Bastard?"

An audible gulp from Ruka-pyon was heard and you turned suspiciously towards him. On the other side of the classroom, you heard someone burst into fits of laughter and you looked up to find Koko laughing his head off. The blonde shook his head slowly before choking then snickering again then suddenly approached them with a wide smile.

"I want to join in your calculations!" he exclaimed, catching Anna-chan and Nonoko-chan's attentions. They also turned to your direction and stood beside Koko.

"What's this?" they asked in unison, a smile lingering on their lips.

Hotaru's smile widened and darkened. "Three people will help you solve, then, Nogi," she mumbled. "Aren't you lucky?"

Again, another audible gulp was Ruka-pyon's reply. You were curious, not really getting what Koko had laughed at. Perhaps it involved you?

"Idiot plus bastard, what's the answer?" asked Hotaru, turning to Koko. "You know, ne?"

Koko snickered and you realize he was fighting back some urge to . . . burst. "LOVE!"

You nearly fell off your seat. Why did you get the sudden feeling that they were talking about you?

Ruka-pyon choked and Anna-chan and Nonoko-chan let out an "Ooh" sound simultaneously. Hotaru's aura darkened but she seemed happy as she typed in the next equation.

_Idiot + Bastard ÷Love =_

"You." Hotaru turned her head to Anna-chan. "What do you think will happen if an Idiot realizes she loves the Bastard?"

Anna-chan gave a thoughtful look before breaking into a suspicious smile. You could not understand why but it seemed as though Hotaru had some little scheme prepared for you. "Isn't it . . . DENIAL?"

For the second time in that ten minutes you were there "calculating", you almost fell off your seat. Ruka-pyon made these funny sounds and you looked up, finding him freezing in anxiety.

Koko shook his head as he laughed that you would get the notion that he was getting absurd. Hotaru smirked and started typing once again.

_Idiot + Bastard ÷ Love – Denial =_

"What'll happen when the Idiot that is in denial of love for the Bastard suddenly lost that air of denial that stops her from loving the bastard?" asked Hotaru as she typed.

The group looked confused that only Nonoko-chan seemed to understand. Nonoko-chan was looking over Hotaru's shoulder that she giggled and answered almost immediately after Hotaru had typed the words. "Isn't it . . . what's the term . . . FLIRTING?"

It was as though Koko could not hold it any more. He slammed his fist repeatedly over the table, panting really hard as though he was mad as he laughed his head completely off. You swore, you could almost see drool coming from the corners of his mouth.

_Yuck_ . . .

Ruka-pyon seemed to find the answer funny though. But why did you really have this nagging feeling that they were talking about none other than . . . you, yourself, and practically you, Mikan Sakura?

"How then is it if the Idiot starts accepting her feelings for the Bastard and start flirting with him because of the love that was once hindered by denial?" asked Hotaru with a sly smile spread across her lips, typing the next equation.

_Idiot + Bastard ÷ Love – Denial + Flirting =_

"Shouda," called Hotaru without looking up. Curious, you looked up to find Permy looking over Hotaru's shoulder, clearly inquisitive of what the group was doing.

Truth be told, even you yourself wasn't sure what exactly were you doing.

"Yes, Imai?" Permy replied casually, twisting her greenish black hair in between her fingers.

"What do you think is the answer?"

Permy raised an eyebrow, closed her eyes before sighing dreamily. "Why, MARRIAGE of course!"

Koko sucked in a lot of oxygen, not yet really recovering from his previous laughter.

Really.

This somehow pissed you off.

Why couldn't you get where they were getting at?

"Very well then," said Hotaru, eyes flickering towards Ruka. "What'll happen next after their marriage?"

Ruka-pyon stiffened and you could easily sense his sudden uneasiness.

Hotaru gave him time to think, though. She started typing on her latest invention once again.

_Idiot + Bastard ÷ Love – Denial + Flirting + Marriage =_

Expectant eyes turned to ogle Ruka-pyon. Even you had to look at him to notice that he was . . . very much trying to shrug off some kind of feeling and dodge from Hotaru's each equation. You could sense that he was thankful of the rest of your friends who answered the previous equation.

But you saw Ruka-pyon's color completely drain that he was as white as bond paper.

"C — Can I not—"

"You know the deal, Nogi," intervened Hotaru. "You know the deal," she reiterated as he smile grew . . . victorious of some sort.

You turned to Ruka-pyon who merely sighed. Your other friends where nagging him to answer.

"Alright! I give up!"

Each person in the circle leaned in closer.

"HONEYMOON!"

The once noisy class turned into a silent one.

_The_ Ruka Nogi was saying something as such.

Oh.

OH.

What a crime.

Hotaru, though, found the silence as her moment to type in the next and hopefully last equation.

_Idiot + Bastard ÷ Love – Denial + Flirting + Marriage + Honeymoon =_

The class burst out laughing.

Really. The voice that nagged you suddenly made another sense as Hotaru turned her head to the left, acknowledging a now standing up and smirking Natsume.

"Hyuuga," she called, a glint in her eyes clearly perceived. "What would be your answer in this equation? When the Idiot marries the Bastard and goes into honeymoon because of _love_, what would be the end result?"

Natsume continued smirking and nodded his head curtly towards Koko who probably had read what he had just thought. He left without another word, leaving the whole class bombarding Koko with questions. And now you were curious too.

"What is his answer?" you asked out loud out of curiosity.

Koko heaved a sigh, the smile still present, and looked around. "You want to know?" he dared.

All heads nodded excitedly except for Hotaru who was still smiling mischievously and Ruka-pyon who was completely still as statue.

"Are you sure?"

Everyone nodded again.

"Well, he started with something really Rated M," a whole bunch of students snickered at that, "but the answer to the equation, he concluded, was . . ."

The whole class leaned in excitement.

"His mere answer was . . ."

"Yes, what was it?"

"Well —"

"Go on with it, you jerk!" cried Permy, ready to pound her friend.

"His answer was . . .

. . . '_cute little brown-haired crimson-eyed kids'_."

You knew it. Heat crept up to your cheeks and you did not only feel like as though you would fall off your seat because you certainly did.

Busted.

**This isn't proofread.**

**I decided to make this chaptered.  
And some of you might be wondering why the  
first chapter was posted twice. The second post was  
edited. You might not find difference in the plot but the grammar  
was edited. **

**Review?**

©sera-chan


	3. Of Irony and Of Victim

_He loves contradictions. Therefore, the more that he loves her less, the more he hates her more ... the more the contradiction there is to it. The more that he proves himself ... to have fallen in love. That's the irony of it._

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, not mine.

**Operation: Make Polka-Dot Panties Fall**

You stared at his still silhouette. He was sitting casually on the branch of "his" tree, likewise staring at you. His crimson eyes were solemn and they were reflecting the cloudless night sky—the wan moon, even.

You found yourself awed tonight by his simple beauty. The night breeze tousled his black hair and kissed your skin, soothing it.

As if calculating his own actions, you watched as he open his mouth and said, "You came."

You stiffly nodded and silently gulped.

"You want to talk to me in the middle of the night—what has gotten into you, Hyuuga Natsume?" you asked and right then, you noticed your voice was hoarse.

He blinked and shrugged before getting off his tree. "You know what? I somehow like it when you call me that."

A breeze blew past and you shivered. With calculated steps, he approached you and you unconsciously stepped back.

When he was about a meter away from you, he cast his notorious fire on the tip of his forefinger.

"Watch," he said with the same serious and nonchalant face.

Your mouth hung as all too suddenly, the grounds were on fire, the flames set into words.

"What the hell?" you yelled, hastily looking his way. You drew closer to him with angry steps and when you were near him, shook his shoulders. "Are you trying to burn the whole school?"

He merely stared at you, coolly pulled off your grasp, and with a quiet voice, said, "Study the fire."

"What? Are you making fun of me?"

"Do it."

Cursing unintelligibly, you turned your attention to the grounds caught in fire. For more than a minute, you studied the flames as he told you to and found out what was . . . wrong.

"I—What's this?" you mumbled, completely turning your whole body to it.

Like he knew your most hated subject—Mathematics, at that matter—the fire he had cast was formed into an equation.

You cocked an eyebrow. _Same as the last time, isn't it?_ you thought, your eyebrows meeting together.

**R + VAT**

"RVAT," you answered aloud, not even noticing. You only noticed that you answered such when the equation formed by the flames changed.

**RVAT + SHOE**

You raised an eyebrow. It was stupid. Yet you found yourself answering, "RVATSHOE."

Within a blink of an eye, the equation, once again, changed into a new one.

**RVATSHOE – RAT + SICK**

You sighed and irately turned to him. "You know how much I hate this subject, Natsume."

He smirked when you spoke his name but shrugged in the end. "Sorry to say but we're dealing with words—we're playing with words, not numbers."

"Crap . . ." You studied the words and canceled what was to be cancelled. You hated to admit it but you really found this entertaining. Words could be whatever they want. "VSHOESICK."

Natsume's smirked didn't waver and instead he stared at you intently.

Although you knew it, you were blushing. You merely told yourself that it was caused by anger—mere anger—and not because you were . . . you were slowly . . .

"What are you playing at?"

Your "enmity" shook his head with the same smirk. You so badly wanted to wipe it off his face. "Just go on."

**VSHOESICK – SHOES + MEAT**

"VICKMEAT."

"Next."

**VICKMEAT – K + LOSE**

"URGH! How am I supposed to know?"

"Use your brain, Polka. Oh, and shut up, you're disturbing the school's sleep."

You glared at him, crossed your arms, and pouted. Damn annoying Hyuuga Natsume. Making you feel so . . . so inferior . . . so stupid . . . so . . .

"VICMEATLOSE," you answered, nevertheless.

The young boy beside you nodded blatantly and cast another set of fire. Awed, you watched the next words form as though they were really meant to be that way.

**VICMEATLOSE – MEAL + IN**

You grumbled and he shook his head. "Baka, answer."

"I know I'm an idiot, you don't have to say it a million times. So yeah, I'm an idiot which only means I cannot answer those—those—"

"—highly idiotic word equations?" said your "enmity's" deep and smooth voice. "Fine. But I'm telling you, prepare."

What was there to prepare? You fell silent as he said those. There was nothing to prepare for—that was what you strongly believed. As though knowing your question, Natsume's fire danced in front of you, words forming.

**VICTOSEIN – NOSE + M**

Your eyes widened a fraction and you knew that the well-kept anger had risen. You couldn't believe it. You couldn't believe you fell as his—

"VICTIM," said Natsume without much of a hint of emotion.

Your clenched hands shook and you sharply turned to him, anger filling your chest cavity. "Are you really _that_ cruel to play games on me? Play pranks on me? THIS IS GETTING ANNOYING! For two days you played with my feelings! Fall for you? Calculation of love? It's exasperating, Natsume, and I'm tired."

He opted to stay silent and by then, you thought you won. But no, you didn't—not just yet. "Finished, yet?"

You didn't answer back so he continued.

"For those said days of playing pranks on you, you didn't fall as my victim," he said as his flames gradually flicker off. "Rather, _I_ did."

Your eyes widened, you heart beating so abnormally fast.

"I fell as your victim—the contrary of my real plan. You never changed my mouth that speaks vulgar words. You never changed my body that acts too highly. You never changed everything that annoys you in me."

You gulped. "What do you mean?"

"You changed me as a whole."

Your eyes widened and you felt your heart drop to the ground.

"Hn. Still thinking of this as a mere prank?"

Once again, his raven hair got tousled by the sudden gush of wind. You frowned at this.

"Just. What the hell is _this_, Natsume?" you demanded, your face burning and in the shade of red. "First thing, you were ignoring me. Next thing, you caught me when I "fell off." Just yesterday, you had that silly joke with Hotaru and the others about the "calculation of love." And now you're telling me that—"

Your eyes widened further when his mouth moved, an almost beautiful sound escaping his lips.

"—I love you?"

What? What? What????

"Natsume, just answer me! I hate playing games when I'm—"

"I was always trying to say . . . but all you did was dismissing it as some kind of joke. Now, tell me," he said, his right index finger slowly pointing at his pair of crimson eyes, "are these eyes joking?"

You had no right to say YES when you knew very well that they were saying the truth. Those eyes didn't lie, never lied at you but did for the sake of protecting you. Three years ago . . .

. . . when the academy was still under the threat of the elementary principal . . . who protected you all the time? Wasn't it . . . him? Wasn't it . . . Hyuuga Natsume?

"I hate idiots and highly vindictive persons like you," started Natsume as he put a closure between your distance. You didn't move, you merely stared at his fatally serious eyes. It was . . . scary. "But . . . I realized there's always an exception."

You heard your own gulp.

"You know I'm not joking all these times," he continued further. "But all you did was to dismiss all my indirect confession as nothing serious or as a joke. And as I was saying, my hatred has its exceptions.

I hate idiots. I hate girls. But only _you_ proved myself wrong. Only you said the words that made me hate you more and love you less."

Where was he getting at? He said he loved you then later on confess that he hated you more and loved you less?

"W—What?"

"I _love_ contradictions. Therefore, the more that I loved you less, the more I hate you more . . . the more the contradiction there is to it. The more that I proved myself . . .

To have fallen in love."

Seriously. You knew he was confessing.

"Ha . . . ha . . ." You laughed nervously. "That's one funny—"

"—joke?" Natsume spun around, clenched fists hitting his forehead. A sarcastic smile graced his lips. "Always, Polka—always."

You felt your face turn even redder. "W—what?"

"I always do those pranks on you to tell myself that feelings do lie."

". . . But falling as the victim . . ." you mumbled, your eyes widening in realization. "Falling as the victim of your own pranks . . ."

A small smile escaped Hyuuga Natsume's lips and slowly, he drew nearer to you, your bodies merely inches away.

"But falling as the victim of my own pranks of confessions urged me to love you more."

You thought your heart missed two necessary beats.

"I always told myself how idiot you are for me to hate you. But I love contradictions, the more that my feelings got the better of me. That's the irony of it."

**OK. So the next chapter would be the last. :'(  
I'm sorry for the cheesiness and the OOCness. It's the only thing  
I could think of . . . . Nothing more, nothing less. Oh, and crap! I want to thank you all!  
I wasn't able to reply to all the reviews sent to me, so I want to really apologize!  
A lot of things happened to me. Laziness kicked in and got the better of lme.  
But seriously, thanks!**

**Review???? Make this silly girl happy!**

©sera-chan


	4. Definitely Make Her Fall

_Some people never say the words "I love you;" it's not their style to be so bold. Some people never say the words "I love you;" but like a child, they're longing to be told.  
It's time to definitely make her fall. _

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, not mine.

**Operation: Make Polka-Dot Panties Fall **

Roses are flowers. They are objects of attraction especially to girls—a core reason why guys often give the girls of their hearts such a beautiful thing. Despite them being inanimate, they also scream unspoken words; they also express unexpressed feelings; and they also share unshared thoughts.

Flowers have their own language. We—you—do not hear what they say, understand what they scream, and feel what they show. Once we study their language, though, we'd hear, we'd understand, we'd feel.

Roses have their own language.

Take for example the yellow rose that stands for friendship. If yellow is for friendship, take it that a red one . . . _red_ stands for: "You are my first love, my last, and will always be the one."

Once you receive _one_ red rose, that would mean you are his love from first sight. Once you receive _six_, his message wants you to know that he wants to be yours. If you receive _thirteen_, he tells you that he is your secret admirer. If he gives you _twenty_, he practically says, "Believe me, I am sincere towards you." And once he gives you _three_ . . . well . . . isn't its meaning the most popular one?

What was your current problem? Your problem was that you received a mixture of those—a mixed number of those.

By your door, when you stepped out of your bed room, was one single long-stemmed red rose. Since you and Anna-chan and Nonoko-chan were talking about florigraphy just months ago, you knew what _one red rose_ meant.

"_I'm in love at first sight."_

And the unspoken words created a suffocating lump in the pit of your stomach. It was _annoying_. Annoyance got the best of you so all you did was ignore its meaning although you found yourself having it in your hands, carrying it to your classroom.

When you reached your class, on your usual seat were six red roses.

"_I wanna be yours."_

And the statement they screamed bugged you until the end of morning class. The statement bugged you more than how a certain pair of crimson eyes bugged you the whole time you were sitting on your seat, listening lazily as the academy's teachers drawled on and on.

On your way to the cafeteria, alone, banded together were thirteen roses that were casually thrown to you by an unseen person. Like an electronic dictionary that would give you the meaning of certain words when you just type it in, you received its meaning within the blink of your eyes.

"_You know what? I'm your secret admirer."_

When you frowned and decided to turn around, on the tiled floor were twenty roses in a bouquet.

"_Believe me, I am sincere towards you."_

You picked the bouquet up and placed it together with the others in your already full hands. You were never good in Mathematics so it took you long enough to get the total of the roses in your hands. Forty roses. _Red roses._

Frowning, you already got the idea. You already knew who was behind everything and yet you ignored the reality. This time, you wouldn't. You'd face him. Without further ado, you made your way towards _that_ tree carrying the forty roses with you. You didn't heed the fact that students were staring at you oddly, whispering as you passed by.

And God, how right you were.

Standing beneath the same tree where you _fell_—literally—was Hyuuga Natsume. Smirking.

You never wished to be faint-hearted when in front of him. It would show that around him, you were weak. You didn't want to kill without any valid reason. It would connote that you were mentally retarded. You craved for the strength to push away these tickling feelings in your gut. It would just show that, now, you liked Hyuuga Natsume.

You sent your brain the very command not to make your knees wobbly that you could fall on the ground helplessly. Because you knew what _he_ meant with those items in his hands.

Your hands could almost let go of the bouquets of roses. Your hands could almost find their way to your flushing face. But you couldn't.

You shouldn't show how affected you were.

Your chocolate-brown eyes stared at Hyuuga Natsume's right hand that was holding _three _red roses. And they yelled one thing.

"_I love you."_

"I—Why me, Natsume? I want the facts."

From his location, Natsume stepped closer. And smirked.

"I've already told you last night. But this time, what I want to say is . . . . Do not seek the because—in love, there is no because, no reason, no explanation, no solutions. Stop denying, _Mikan_. There's something in you that likes—_loves_—me back."

Your eyes twitched. "I'm not denying! I'm just showing the truth that I'm not—and _never_—in love with you!"

Natsume could only shake his head. You know what was going on his mind. Perhaps he was already thinking that you were simply annoying—but amusing, nevertheless.

"Look. Some people never say the words 'I love you.' It's not their style to be so bold."

All you could do was stare. Your enmity stepped forward and neared you.

"Some people never say those words 'I love you.' But like a child, they're longing to be told."

This time, Natsume had already reached her. They were now mere inches apart.

"Don't deny that you, as a girl, had always dreamt of being told those words. Don't refute your wish to be told that."

Silence. Stare.

"It takes a lot of pride, _Polka_, just to say those."

Stare.

"But I can't; yet roses can."

Within a blink of an eye, Natsume slipped. That was _so_ not him. Natsume? Slipping? Those two words never seemed to fit in one sentence!

Before you could think of anything else, you were pulled down with the same thirteen-year-old boy you (now admitted) _used to _(still) love.

Within seconds, you found your _forehead_ clashing with his.

"Tell me now, who—who am I to you?" you asked, staring at Natsume's blood-red orbs.

He merely smirked. "You're the girl I'm now promising to protect. You're the girl I used to love; I love; and I am to love."

You couldn't believe it. There was _no_ way. Your eyes widened.

"You're the girl I always wished to fall."

Always wished to fall?

"To fall off a tree, to fall for the calculations, to fall for the roses . . . to fall for _me_."

And your mouth hung. Could thirteen-year-olds possibly do such a thing? You wonder . . . . Was Natsume thirteen or older?

"_Mikan_."

Within seconds after that certain name was said, you felt your lachrymal glands produce some unwanted salty liquid. Tears. You hated crying. It was against your rules! But he said it! He said your name twice!

And yet . . . .

Being near him wasn't that bad, after all. At least, you knew there was something you feel towards him.

In the end, no matter how much you denied it, you still fell for _the_ Hyuuga Natsume.

You still fell for THE Hyuuga Natsume who couldn't say the following:

_Mikan, I am in love at first sight that I wanna be yours. I wanna be yours such that I am your secret admirer. Believe me, I am sincere towards you if I say . . . _

_Mikan, I love you._

-

Four years later, tears fell off from _your _eyes. Tears fell off from your eyes that were staring at the dried and dead forty-three roses that were kept inside a big wooden box.

You wondered why . . . .

You wanted to ask why . . . .

_Natsume, if you truly loved me, love me, would love me . . . if you truly wish to protect me all the time . . . if you truly wish me to fall for you . . . _

_Natsume, tell me, then. _

_. . . Why did you leave? . . . Why did you leave the academy without your friends?_

_. . . Why did you leave alone? . . . What's the problem?_

_. . . Only one year more and we're graduated! . . . We can be together forever . . . _

_. . . Am I not enough?_

_Natsume . . . _

_. . . Why did you leave _**me**_?_

_Natsume . . . I've never said this before for four years but I . . ._

_Natsume . . ._

_. . . I love you, too. _

But thinking about his name _five_ times in your thoughts—saying his name _five_ times—didn't bring him back to your life.

**Operation: Show Him You Love Him Back **_**. . . failed.

* * *

**_

**Alright! It's finished! Did you expect it to end that way?  
Some of you might have (if you've read my SasuSaku "Operation: Make Forehead Fall") because said fanfiction ended that same way.  
Ummm . . . . I do have a question. Do you want me to post an epilogue? It's up to you if you want or not . . . . Vote for it in my profile PLEASE!  
Do visit my profile and vote in my poll and it will be up for one or two months so I can prepare (in case most said yes). Please? I want to know what you want so I can immediately tend to it.

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**Thank you to the people who weren't listed above yet I know they read. Thank you to the people who kept silence as their company while reading this to prevent from either offending me or flattering me too much. Thank you to the people who read- I may not know you but still, thank you. And thank you, too, to the people who shared their thoughts and ideas- who sent me a feedback. :)**

**Most of all, a big thank you to YOU who read until the end.**

**THANK YOU AND PLEASE DO REVIEW!**

**©sera-chan**

**p.s. some names with dots might have been obliterated so tell me if i left you out . . .  
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